V-P polls: BJD, BRS to abstain from voting

WHILE THE NUMBERS seem to be stacked in favour of the ruling BJP-led NDA in the Vice-Presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, in which the NDA's candidate C P Radhakrishnan is pitted against the Opposition INDIA alliance's nominee Justice (retired) P Sudershan Reddy, the decision of the BJD and the BRS to abstain from voting may further boost Radhakrishnan's prospects.

- ASAD REHMAN

Both the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD and the K Chandrashekar Rao-headed BRS, which are not part of the NDA or the INDIA bloc, announced Monday that their MPs will abstain from voting in the high-profile election.

While Radhakrishnan is the Maharashtra Governor, Justice Sudershan Reddy is a former Supreme Court judge. The election to the Vice-President's post was necessitated by the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on the opening day of Parliament's monsoon session on July 21, when he suddenly quit citing health concerns.

Speaking to The Indian Express, BJD MP Sasmit Patra said that the party has decided to abstain from voting in the V-P poll. "The Biju Janata Dal remains equidistant from both the NDA and INDIA alliances."